Utility Planet is the official blog for the column of the same name in The Spectrum Monitor. It replaces Utility World in the discontinued Monitoring Times magazine. Utilities are all VLF/LF/MF/HF (and sometimes low-band VHF) radio communications except broadcasting, CB, and non-emergency amateur. If you understood the last sentence, you know enough to read this blog.

Friday, July 28, 2017

More broadcasters are making use of the 9400 kHz frequency from
Space Line in Bulgaria. If you have ever considered producing your own radio program,
either digital text or traditional voice, contact Space Line via spaceline.bg
(I think Saturday 1630-1700 UTC is available!), or Radio Miami International via
wrmi.net.
(I do not work for or derive income from either transmission company.)

This weekend, most of Shortwave Radiogram is in our usual MFSK32
mode, with five images. If reception is difficult, there is also one brief item
from Radio Prague in Olivia 64-2000.

Here is the lineup for Shortwave Radiogram, program 6,
29-30 July 2017, all in MFSK32 except where noted:

The Mighty
KBC transmits to Europe
Saturdays at 1500-1600 UTC on 9400 kHz (via Bulgaria), with the minute of MFSK at
about 1530 UTC (if you are outside of Europe, listen via websdr.ewi.utwente.nl:8901/ ).And to North America Sundays at 0000-0200 UTC (Saturday 8-10 pm EDT) on 9925
kHz, via Germany. The minute of MFSK is at about 0130 UTC. Reports to Eric: themightykbc@gmail.com . See also http://www.kbcradio.eu/ and https://www.facebook.com/TheMightyKbc/.

Italian Broadcasting
Corporation (IBC)For the complete IBC transmission schedule visithttp://ibcradio.webs.com/Five minutes of MFSK32 is at the end of the 30-minute English-language “Shortwave
Panorama,” per the schedule below:

WEDNESDAY18.55 UTC6070 KHZ TO EUROPE

19.55 UTC1584 KHZ TO EUROPE

THURSDAY02.55 UTC1584 KHZ TO EUROPE

FRIDAY01.25 UTC9955 KHZ TO CENTRAL/SOUTH AMERICA

SATURDAY01.55 UTC 11580 KHZ TO NORTH AMERICA

20.25 UTC1584 KHZ TO SOUTH EUROPE

SUNDAY00.55 UTC7730 KHZ TO NORTH AMERICA

10.55 UTC6070 KHZ TO EUROPE

Thanks for your reports.I will begin sending replies and QSLs for SWRG program 4 this weekend.And I hope eventually to catch up!

I was amazed how well the MFSK64 (240 wpm) performed last
week, even under some marginal conditions. You can see videos of reception and
decoding via this link: https://twitter.com/SWRadiogram/status/885863588677791746
. It would be tempting to use MFSK64 as our “default” mode, except that there would
be enough instances of difficult reception that the number of errors would be
unacceptable.

Did anyone experience reception bad enough that only the
MFSK16 provided a perfect decode?

This weekend, let’s hope for bad reception – well, at least
somewhere – because we will include some Olivia 64-2000 in show. This is a slow
mode, only about 25 wpm. And it makes use of the entire 2000 Hz available to us,
so you probably don’t want to use an extremely narrow filter. Also, for best
results with Olivia 64-2000, turn the squelch (SQL at the bottom right of
Fldigi) off.

Here is the lineup
for Shortwave Radiogram, program 4, 15-16 July 2017, all in MFSK32 except
where noted:

The Mighty KBC
transmits
to Europe Saturdays at 1500-1600 UTC on 9400 kHz (via Bulgaria), with the
minute of MFSK at about 1530 UTC (if you are outside of Europe, listen via websdr.ewi.utwente.nl:8901/ ). And to North
America Sundays at 0000-0200 UTC (Saturday 8-10 pm EDT) on 9925 kHz, via
Germany. The minute of MFSK is at about 0130 UTC. Reports to Eric: themightykbc@gmail.com . See also http://www.kbcradio.eu/ and https://www.facebook.com/TheMightyKbc/.

Italian Broadcasting Corporation (IBC) For the complete
IBC transmission schedule visit http://ibcradio.webs.com/ Five minutes of
MFSK32 is at the end of the 30-minute English-language “Shortwave Panorama,”
per the schedule below:

WEDNESDAY
18.55 UTC 6070 KHZ TO EUROPE

19.55 UTC 1584 KHZ TO EUROPE

THURSDAY
02.55 UTC 1584 KHZ TO EUROPE

FRIDAY
01.25 UTC 9955 KHZ TO CENTRAL/SOUTH
AMERICA

SATURDAY
01.55 UTC 11580 KHZ TO NORTH AMERICA

20.25 UTC 1584 KHZ TO SOUTH EUROPE

SUNDAY
00.55 UTC 7730 KHZ TO NORTH AMERICA

10.55 UTC 6070 KHZ TO EUROPE

Thank you
for your reports to last weekend’s broadcast. I am already two weeks behind in responding,
but hope to have all the SWRG2 reports answered before the first SWRG4 show goes
on the air.

Wednesday, July 12, 2017

It's that time again. We raise our barbaric yawp against those who thought Morse code was dead for all time. This year, we raise it on 18 transmitters. From MRHS:

Night of Nights XVIII!

Here's all the time, station and frequency information for Night of Nights XVIII..Date: Wednesday 12 July 2017 Pacific Daylight Time Location: RCA receiving station, 17400 Sir Francis Drake Blvd., Point Reyes National Seashore Click HERE for a map of the location from Google Maps Time: Doors open at 3:00pm pdt, first transmission 5:01pm pdt (0001gmt 13 July)Light refreshments: ServedPhotographs: EncouragedTours: Given (Whisper that you're True Believer for a special tour of the Treasure Room)None of this would have been possible without the trust and vision of the Point Reyes National Seashore.
The only reason these facilities were spared the bulldozer that
visited all the others is that they are on park land. And the only
reason they have been restored to operation is that the PRNS staff
understood their importance and trusted the MRHS to restore them to
life. We will send last minute changes and signal reports by Twitter. You can join Twitter free at:https://www.twitter.com

and follow us at @Radiomarine

MRHS StationsEighteen transmitters
will be on the air from the MRHS transmitter site in Bolinas! That
doesn't include transmitters held in ready reserve in case of failure.
Members of the crack MRHS Transmitter Department and the H Set Team
will be on hand to assure that all goes well.

The
restoration of the H set has been chronicled in past issues of the
Newsletter. It will return to revenue service for the first time in
decades for Night of Nights. See Newsletter No. 38 for information about and photos of this magnificent transmitter.NOTE: Broadcasts including commemorative messages, weather, traffic lists, etc., will be sent via KPH only. KFS will send the station identification "wheel" on all HF channels when not working ships.

> KFSFrequency Transmitter Antenna500 Henry MF5000D Marconi T6365.6 Henry HF5000D Double extended Zepp12695.5 Press Wireless PW15 H over 217026.0 Henry HF5000D H over 222581.5 Henry HF5000D H over 2> K6KPHK6KPH ops will
monitor the frequencies below as propagation and the number of available
operators permit. K6KPH will be open for signal reports, traffic or
general contacts. Give us a buzz.Frequency Transmitter Antenna

> Reception ReportsReception reports and verification requests for the MRHS stations listed above may be sent to:

Maritime Radio Historical SocietyPO Box 392Point Reyes Station, CA 94956USANote: Self addressed stamped envelopes would be greatly appreciated! Please, no "green stamps".> Station TelephoneThe receive site may be contacted by phone on 415-669-9646 (answered only when the station is on the air)

USCG Stations

Many USCG personnel at all levels
are responsible for bringing these stations back on the air for Night
of Nights XVIII. We want to particularly thank ET1 Mike Leska for
taking the lead for this year's project.

>>==> We have just received a flash message stating that NMN will not be on the air for Night of Nights XVIII> NMN - Chesapeake, VA

8465

12718.5

16976

NOTE: The presence of NMN on CW is
a very big deal and a technical challenge. NMN will be remote
controlled from NMC. Big thanks to ET1 Mike Leska without whom the
entire USCG Night of Nights operation would not be possible.

NOTE regarding NMC/NMQ/NMW MF
transmissions. Only one MF transmitter will be in service at each
station. Morse transmissions will be made on an as-available basis
from each station as USCG operators must also accommodate scheduled
NAVTEX transmissions.

The way they do the numbers is different every time. So
147 for example could be said as: one forty-seven, fourteen seven, one
hundred and forty-seven. Either way, when it comes to the Bear net
they'll say one of the above and then read them out singularly. Using
147 again: "fourteen seven, one four seven"

Hugh's additional note: Numbers in Russian get complicated. By themselves, as quantities, or as figures in code groups, no problem. When followed by nouns, they usually agree in gender and case, though the rules are not simple. Cases (nominative, genitive, dative, etc) matter in Russian. Unless you're learning the language, that's all you need to know.